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Microsoft patches applied - EVEN WHEN AUTOUPDATE IS OFF
Carol Haynes:
As some of the posted comments on that page say, the MS apologist completely misses the point.
If I have 'notify me of updates and ask if I want to install' enabled then Windows Update should simply report that there is an update to Windows Update. It is then my choice whether I install it or not. OK I may never see any other updates until I do but at least it is my choice.
Silent updates without any information means that if the MS servers are compromised there could be a worldwide automatic distribution of various kinds of malware without user intervention. The fact that MS can even do this means there must be a loophole that already exists that could be exploited by others with drastic consequences. Given that MS is not exactly known for its high security profile I think that these are potential situations that really need to be taken seriously! If Windows Update couldn't accept updates without user consent then this whole can of worms could be avoided.
Personally I think the blanket 'Automatic (recommended)' setting is practically a blank cheque which is open to abuse - and at the very least stupid given the number of problematic patches MS shovels out every year. I have lost count of the number of times 'fixes' from MS have broken more than they fixed.
Laughing Man:
I agree. My Windows installs are set to let me choose if I want to update. And for good reason too, as Windows update has occasionally caused problems in my home network (for a few days to a week a networked HP Printer was offline due to an imcompatibility). So I made sure nobody in my family updated their computers till that was fixed. But if they're silently updating..well that defeats the point doesn't it?
tinyvillager:
Microsoft is shoving their Live update doo-hicky down your throat if you want to keep up to date with their other products,it's basically a Google pack clone.At least google let's you still download apps without it.
If you want to download their IM client,Writer (blog tool),etc.You have to do it through an update console where they try to sell on the ideal of all their other stuff.Not cool!
I subscribe to all the Microsoft employees rss feeds too and you should see how they all fall into lock-step.
"It great !" "It revolutionary!" Hooray!
I love XP pro and i'd most likely like a lot of other products if Microsoft wouldn't hide them behind walls,they come so close...then shoot themselves in the foot.
Lashiec:
As I don't care, I'll go for the drink for I'm a bit thirsty :D
The same time I saw Carol's post and the photo, I knew that Microsoft was updating the routines used to deliver updates for Windows. And it turned to be true. Perhaps the worrying trend is Windows Secrets bad habit (in the Free edition at least) of being clutching at straws as lately instead of warning about true updates gone wrong, like patching systems running Athlon CPUs with microcode geared towards Core 2 Duo processors, or the .NET 1.1 updating service getting trapped updating the native images and starts being loaded with Windows to finish its job, updating one image at every boot. I think my fears of the newsletter losing quality with the addition of Fred Langa and Scott Dunn are coming to reality, and makes you wonder what the heck was Scott doing to discover these... too much free time I suppose ;D
If Microsoft serves are compromised, it would not help (probably) to have automatic updates deactivated. They can take over normal updates as well and disguise malware as the next critical fix for IE7. You'll only see the name and the description, and a correct link. If the antivirus don't warn you, the computer will get infected for sure. And now I'll ran for cover ;D
Laughing Man:
Well for those who turn off updates. They may wait for the general reports (like I do) from other people installing them.
If people start reporting viruses all across Windows computers after an update..well I could probably guess where it came from :P.
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